BILLIONS of pounds worth of new help measures for Universal Credit claimants going into the system next year have been confirmed - here is what it means for you.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) secretary Esther McVey announced an exra £1 billion to support claimants moving on the new benefits system.

Ms McVey addressed the House of Commons on the new measures, which were published today and will be rolled out over five years as part of a £4.5 billion package.

She said: "This is targeted support to help work pay and support the vulnerable.

"We will put an extra £1.7 billion into work allowance, increasing the amount the hardworking families can earn by £1,000 before Universal Credit is tapered away, providing extra support for 2.4 million working families.

Related articles

We've made a further £1 billion package of changes providing two additional weeks of DWP legacy benefits for those moved on to Universal Credit

Esther McVey

"We've made a further £1 billion package of changes providing two additional weeks of DWP legacy benefits for those moved on to Universal Credit."

Today's announcements on the controversial Universal Credit system, which is replacing six other benefits, will help benefit claimants moving onto Universal Credit through "managed migration" from July, 2019.

It is being rolled out across the UK ahead of next year's switch.

As part of today’s announcements confirm, loan debt repayments are being slashed from 40 per cent to 30 per cent a month.